Back in Aussie - again. After 6 weeks in good old germany. But who was surprised by that?

Finally we got back. At 28th June 2006 we were allowed to enter the marina in Cairns. We had to anchor outside town the night before, as we arrived after 4pm (bureaucracy is the same all over the world!).

The next day the owner of SY Krisco, Chris and his friends arrived. So Luke and me travelled back to Airlie. On the 30th June we woke up in the terraces, after a short night in a bed that was not moving.

Noumea is very european and very 'rich' compared to the other pacific island states. The red mountains on the east side of the island let us already feel a little bit aussie. The rest is green, the mountains 'Dololimte-like' in my reckoning. There is a lot of tourism, the strong wind in the bays makes them to Mekkas for Kite- and Windsurfers. Further there are many beachsurrounded islands, reef, heaps of fish - we even saw a seasnake. Respectfully, the boys jumped back when it came ashore.

On the way to Cairns we visited the Amedee island: an old lighthouse, signs, bathrooms, a restaurant, beachchairs - but not a single person. It was monday, no tours today!

Und wieder eine Woche auf See.
20.06., Dave:"We haven't done 8 knots and not banged before, Luke." Good wind with little or no swell. The boat does 8knots speed. Normally the waves crash in between the hulls in that speed.
21.06., Luke and Dave, "I took it from behind 11.000 miles, I have it over, I wouldn't mind it coming from an angle, but not sliding it straight in", referring to the fact we had downwind (straight up the arse) the whole crossing.

First no wind, like nearly all the time. That means 10 days on sea: sucks massively! After three days we get a good portion of wind for a couple of days, 30 knots: banging speed. That is the situation throughout the whole journey: no wind or 30 knots with big swell. Without wind it is boring: no sailing, just hanging around, cleaning, reading, drinking, ... killing time.

On 6th of June we finally saw land again. Neiafu is the little northern one of the tongan islands. It is nearly a developping country in standards. Within an hour half the town were on our boat and the princes paid a visit to the island, too, having a boat not much bigger than ours. Neiafu has a very small Marina and the people are very catholic. It is very cruise friendly, because it is not that reefy (the water is usually deep enough).

Tonga is a really nice place, untouched green islands everywhere, absolute clear water, dolphins jumping out of the water.

Nach ein paar Tagen auf Bora Bora geht es weiter nach Tonga. Nach einem Tag schon haben wir keinen Wind mehr, das heisst wir benutzen mehr oder weniger nur den Motor. Ray (Raytheon der Autopilot) macht alles. Nur nachts muessen wir Wache schieben und nach Schiffen Ausschau halten, alle 3 Stunden jemand anders (sucks!). Wenn ich doch nur mal eines sehen wuerde! Immer nur Wasser, Wasser, Wasser, bis zum Horizont, hin und wieder mal ein fliegender Fisch (ja, die gibt es!). Mittags sitzen wir in der Lounge, trinken Cerveza Panama und entwerfen abenteuerliche Geschichten von unserer Ueberfahrt (ein riesiger Tintenfisch ist aufgetaucht und hat Luke gegriffen. Aber wir konnten ihn mit Allesreinigerspruehflschen wieder befreien und den Tintenfisch vertreiben). Abendessen ist das Tageshighlight, vor allem wenn Du selbst an der Reihe bist. Obwohl, gestern fanden wir ein Stueck oranges Rohr im Wasser!

5 th June
Wir haben immer noch keinen richtigen Wind. Oder wenn, dann aus der falschen Richtung. Deshalb haben wir in den letzten Tag den Alkoholkonsum erhoeht, und jetzt ist ploetzlich 4 Tage weiter. Einen Tag haben wir durch passieren der Datumsgrenze verloren, aber wo sind die anderen geblieben?

Gestern nacht hat alle 5 Minuten ein anderes Geraet gepiepst: Radar, Autopilot, GPS, ... Schliesslich haben wir alles ausgeschalten (bis auf Ray natuerlich). Ich konnte nicht schlafen, da das Boot staendig neue Geraeusche entwickelt - von seinen 23 existierenden ganz abgesehen. Gerade als ich auf Deck schlafen wollte, fing es an zu regnen. Also stimmte ich ins taegliche Schimpfen ein. Doch irgendetwas an meiner Aussprache von c-u-n-t muss speziell lustig sein, die Jungs koennen nicht genug davon bekommen.

Nach missglueckten Eggs Benedict (russische Eier mit Sauce Hollandaise - huetet Euch vor niederlaendisch-karibischer Hollandaise!) schauten Luke und ich ein Video und nutzten dann fuer ein paar Stunden die 4m2 unserer Kabine.

Der Mond haengt diese Nacht halb und orange in seiner typisch laessigen suedhemisphaeren Schuessel - ich kann mich einfach nicht daran gewoehnen.

After a very quiet and sunny day we arrived in Bora Bora on 27th May. Supersunny and a lush green island that looks especially postcardbeautiful due to the big mountain in the middle. As Dave spent time with some other yachties, Luke and me set off with the white dinghy and cruised to the southern end. I saw three big rays. The water is absolutely clear and of perfect temperature. During snorkeling in front of Hotel Bora Bora we met many fishies, lots of them funny flutefishies.

Bora Bora is very nice. Sadly it is very touristy. Nearly all beaches and lagoons are covered with these little traditional paperhuts - resorts. My tip for tahiti is definetly to go to Mo'orea, stay at a little pension, hotel or where I stayed, the Campsite Nelson (double and triple huts) - with a little beach right in front, 'cheaper' prizes and local life with you (fishing, paddling, boating, harvesting, ...).

Name - Isabelle Diebold
Nationality - German I Age - 27
Status - Partner
Experience - Dinghys and Maxissince January 2006
Weight - 50 kg I Weightloss Leg I - 2kg

On May 25th we finally startet. I joined Dave (40) and my Partner Luke (30), both professional Skippers. The Mission was to deliver a Fountaine Pajot 46 to Cairns (Australia). So we put the dinghy on the boat, pulled the ropes in and drove out of the harbour. I climbed on the boon, opened the Boombag and pulled up the mainsail. Up we went in nearly 30 knots, rocking in 5 m waves - and I were sick. It seems I am not quite fit for the Volvo70s yet. Due to a lot of drinking in the Papeete Pubs the night before, my companions did not feel much better. Fortunately this was the only occasion on the whole journey I was 'seasick'.

Finally met my sailor on papeete. He picked me up right from the ferry and took me on his huge catamaran: big deck, heaps of space inside and the flashiest dinghy in the marina
(I consider it rather a speedboat).

It can hardly get any better, but today we set sails and leave papeete, go to the lagoons on huahine and bora bora. We already had a big turtle popping up next to us this morning.

I promise pictures will follow!

All good now, that is how I imagined tahiti: a beautiful island with a reef belt, living in little timber huts, directly at the beach, huge palm trees and flowers everywhere, fishies one can see with bare eyes, a glowing orange sunset and hundreds of stars. It is soo nice, I feel like staying here until Luke drags me away from the island ;)

Mama, das ist wirklich ein Reiseziel fuer Dich: Blumen ueberall, glasklares Wasser mit ganz vielen bunten Fischen, die man mit blossem Auge sieht und Einheimische die superschoene Pareos und die groessten Tahitiperlen verkaufen, die ich je gesehen habe!

Arrived in Tahiti, one of the so called pacific paradises. Unfortunately, Papeete is very ugly.
It is not at all a paradise like Gaugin painted it, although one can see some of these impressive people, colourful flowers. But at the moment it is even cloudy and rainy. And my boy lets me wait another week.

Dam it, I will get myself into deep debt and explore some of the other islands. There should be a place where even I feel comfortable. Wish me luck!

Alright, today I head off. It is getting too cold here ;))
No, I have the opportunity to hop on a Sail Vessel and cruise around in the
pacific ocean. Actually to hop on the boat my friend Luke brings over the pacific
to Brisbane: I fly to Papeete on Tahiti! Still cannot believe that I am really doing
this. Wish me luck!

After 8 months in the far north I am finally back in a big city, back in civilization.
Just 4 and a half days, but still, I was quite enjoying it.
I mainly visited Art Gallerys and shopped :))

We left Rainbow Beach in the afternoon the day we came back from Fraser, heading further down the backpackerroad to Noosa.

It is actually quite a nice holiday village, so far the first I would compare to Port Douglas. There are nice upper class resorts, lots of nice shops, restaurants and bars.
We stayed at Dolphins - a really laid back Backpaker near the beach, I can recommed it.

There is a lot to do in Noosa. We went to the sunshine beach the arriving evening and had a beautiful sunset. The next day we explored the little National Park, went along the coastline and to other beaches. The last times we always were pretty lucky, saw a platypus where they are supposed to be seen, saw dingos on Fraser - this time no koala :((

The third day we, Karine, Katja, Pierre and me, hired a car and drove to the National Park (Great Sandy). Again sand sand sand and a phanomenal view from Double Point!!

Finnally I did the trips of trips, the mustabsolutelydo as a backpacker: Fraser Island.

So they equipped us in Rainbow Beach with a Toyota Landcruiser 4x4, Campinggear and put us to bunches of 11. I had a quite mixed group: 3 English, 2 Swedish girls, 1 french Canadian girl Karine (my workmate from Airlie!), 2 Denish boys, a swiss boy and us two germs girls.


We crossed over to the island, drove to the beach and there it was ... sand sand sand, blue waves breaking in the sun. It is beautiful I have to admit.

First we went to lake McKanzie, then the shipwreck - where we saw the first dingos, arrived and camped at the beach ... just shortly before sunset.

The second day we drove to the Indian Rock and walked to the Champagne Pools ... had a rather relaxed as we all were pretty hungover from the party the night before ;))
On the second morning we went to Lake Wabby (it is really a long walk for a morning). It is green lake, but still quite nice. The sanddunes on the one side are cool for running or sliding down.

Afterwards we head back to the barge. Often we had to stop and help the other groups to get out of the sand or assist to 'repair' the car. So we were the only group making it back in time - and the original car!

Out of Airlie, we head off to Agnes Waters. There 's a beautiful beach, though even more beautiful is the beach a few kilometres north the Town of 1770. It is not really a town, just a little wharf, a camp site and a pub. But it is the place where Captain James Cook stepped on the mainland - in 1770.

We joined the Scooteroos, a local Scooter Rock Group, and cruised around ...

Afterwards we stayed a night in Hervey Bay. The town is the main access to Fraser Island, but only a little bit bigger than Agnes Waters.

Finally was the time to leave. But before I had an aussie Barbie on my beautiful balcony with my workmates Tamy and Tracey, and afterwards a big night out. On Wednesday I joined Sure Foot on my last Twilight race ... and had another big night out. Then Katja and me did a trip on Boomerang. Katja as a passenger, a party pussy passenger, I can tell you. And me as a volunteer, sort of a traineeship: I helped the crew, mainly the hostess, but do not get paid.
We got off the boat, I said Goodbye to all the people, had a drink in beaches and then we ran for the bus: I had to stop it, because it already headed off! ... Goodbye Airlie!

Schliesslich haben sich meine Tage in Airlie Beach doch dem Ende hin begeben. Nachdem ich mit arbeiten fertig war, habe ich mit Katja zwei Tage zwei Autos gemietet! den ersten Tag hatten wir einen Mini Moke, eine Art Strandbuggy Version des alten Mini. Damit haben wir die Cedar Creek Falls, Proserpine, Dingo und Hideaway Beach abgecruist.

Mit dem Honda Jazz ging es dann am naechsten Tag nach Mackay. Das ist die naechst groesere Stadt suedwaerts nach Airlie Beach.

Von dort aus ging es dann weiter in den Eugenella National Park. Von den Huegeln dort hat man eine phaenomenale Aussicht auf das Pioneer Valley ... and we successfully spotted the Platypus, das Schnabeltier!

Yeah, I am still in Airlie Beach, still in Queensland, if I go on like that, it will take me 10 years to go around Australia. To give my aussie friends a chance of enjoying that weblog, too, I write that entry in english. Tut mir leid, aber das essentielle sollte fuer jeden zu verstehen sein.

And why should I hurry, every day I have 30 degrees, a beautiful view from my balcony, bluegreen water, my favourite colour, white boats shining ... and at night the stars and the moon, comming up the hill on the right hand side.

And as my beautiful Captain had a lot off time, before he left me 5 weeks ago, he took me sailing. It is really cool, and not at all boring - as I thought, to say, not on his 14ft racing skiff. One hikes out on the hook, and speeds ... until the wind is so strong that the boat goes wild and tipps over. But it 's all good, one hangs on to the centerboard, climbs and stands on it and gets it upside up again! The hardest part for me is actually to drag myself back into the boat: As I take pictures, one sees only Luke all the time.

Soon we went on another skippers boat and entered the wednesday sail club race. Meanwhile a fixed date in my schedule. As the boat was new, my boy and his brother had to do all the work, while Shannon was steering. We had good wind that day and the 'mustard cutter" sped ... until we had to drop sails, which gave me a really racing action shot of my boys. Sadly I stuffed it up.

The last time Luke and me went out for a jot, the rudder broke. The next wednesdays I jumped on some ocean race boats, which wasn't that exiting. So my manager offered me to put me on Spudgun - a 18ft katamaran, made of 'left over material' of a volvo ocean racer. It was fast, it was fun, but still a very manageable boat. The crew likes me, so I am welcome again. But my luck seems to be against me these days, Spudgun is broken, too.

More pictures coming up from me and the race. Also visit http://www.whitsundaysailingclub.com.au/ for more information.